SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University men's basketball team will be at home for the first time in three weeks when the Pirates host Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran this weekend. The Loggers come in on Friday night (7:30 pm), while the Lutes visit on Saturday (5:00 pm), which is also Alumni Night in the Fieldhouse. Both games will video stream through FloSports. Check the men's basketball schedule at Whitworthpirates.com for other live links.
Tickets: Digital tickets are required for entrance to the Whitworth Fieldhouse for all fans. Tickets can be purchased in advance using the Hometown Ticketing App (www.whitworthpirates.com/tickets). Tickets are $14 for adults and $8 for senior adults, non-Whitworth students and children. Whitworth students, as well as faculty and staff, get free admission by using an ID number.
Alumni Night: Local Whitworth Alumni are invited to come to Saturday's Northwest Conference basketball doubleheader against PLU for free. Alumni should have received an email with a link to secure free tickets to the games, which start at 3:00 (women) and 5:00 (men). If you have not received the email, please contact Luke Orwig in the Alumni Office (509-777-4283).
The Pirates: Whitworth (12-3 overall, 6-0 NWC) took over sole possession of first place in the Northwest Conference standings with a pair of road wins in Oregon last weekend.
The Pirates used an 11-2 run in the first half and a 15-5 run to start the second half to pull away from George Fox on Friday night. Whitworth built a 24-point lead late in the second half before finishing with a 100-85 victory over the Bruins. The Bucs shot 53% (37-70) from the field, including 56% (10-18) from three-point range. Colton Looney led the team with 20 points, while Stephen Behil, the two-time NWC Player of the Week, finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for his second double-double-of the season. Five Pirates reached double figures in scoring, including 18 points off the bench by Kobe Parlin.
Looney had a second huge game on Saturday night at Lewis & Clark, posting a career-high 27 points to lead Whitworth past the River Otters 82-62. The Pirates scored the first 12 points of the game and never trailed. L&C got within one point early in the second half (37-36) before Whitworth pulled away again. The Bucs forced 15 turnovers and scored 19 points off those turnovers. They also dominated points in the paint 48-20. Caden Bateman had another double-double with 13 points and ten boards. Parlin scored another 13 off the bench.
Statistically speaking: Through 13 games Whitworth is averaging 83.5 points per game (first in the NWC) and allowing 70.5 points per contest (second in the NWC). The Pirates lead the league in scoring margin (+13.1 – 25th in NCAA Div. III).
Whitworth has been strong on the defensive side of the ball. The Pirates lead the conference in field goal percentage defense (38.5%), which ranks 13th in Division III. They also lead in three-point field goal percentage defense (28.7%). Whitworth also leads the conference in rebounds per game (43.3), in defensive rebounds per game (30.5) and ranks second in rebound margin (+7.5).
Iron Man: Whitworth senior post Ty Edwards (Sumner, Wash.) has started 90 consecutive games for the Pirates. It is the longest active starting streak since Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame member George Valle started all 116 games of his career from 2013 through 2016.
Be(hil) the Ball: Stephen Behil is having a breakout senior season. The 6-6 wing from Camas leads the team in scoring average at 17.5 ppg, which ranks fifth in the NWC. He is also sixth in the conference in rebounds per game (7.1). Behil is second in the NWC in three-pointers made per game (2.9) and, after a slow start to the season, is sixth in three-point percentage (40.2).
Energizer: Ben Nyquist has made a successful transition from sixth man to key starter in 2025-26. The senior guard from Kirkland, Washington leads the team in assists with 47 (3.1 apg) and ranks second in the NWC in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.9). He also leads the team in steals with 35 (2.7 spg), which is third in the conference. He averages 13.1 points per game, second on the team and 11th in the NWC, while making 56.7% of his field goals.
Reload: Whitworth did not return either of its All-NWC honorees from 2024-25 when the Pirates won the conference regular season title with a 13-3 record. Despite the graduations of Jake Holtz and Garrett Long, both first team All-Conference selections last season, the Pirates are right back in the hunt for another NWC crown in 2025-26. Ben Nyquist, Colton Looney and Caden Bateman stepped into full-time starting roles this season, along with returning starters Stephen Behil and Ty Ewards.
Watch on FloCollege: Like the rest of the Northwest Conference, Whitworth's home athletic events are steamed through FloCollege in 2025-26. Fans can sign up to watch Pirate sports on the FloCollege portal. Registration is $116 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
Inland Northwest Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Bud Nameck, familiar in Spokane as the KXLY channel 4 sports director for over 20 years and the longtime host of the KXLY 920am Morning News, is in his 11th season as the voice of the Pirates in 2025. He was the voice of Washington State University men's basketball for 22 years and spent that same amount of time on the Cougar football broadcasts – the final three on play by play. He is a longtime resident of the Inland Northwest who began his career as the Sports Information Director and radio voice of Gonzaga University basketball and baseball in the 1980s.
Listen to Road Games: Fans can tune in online to listen to Pirate ROAD games for free at WhitworthPirates.com. Bud Nameck will provide play by play when Whitworth is away from the Fieldhouse.
The Opponents: The University of Puget Sound comes into Friday's game in second place in the NWC with a 10-5 overall record and a 5-1 conference mark. The Loggers can create a first-place tie with a victory. Puget Sound suffered its first NWC loss of the season last Friday against Linfield 59-58 on a last-second shot. The Loggers got their own late-game heroics in Saturday's 75-72 win over Pacific (Ore.). Aubrey Shelton, a former Puget Sound player, is in his 8th season as head coach. The Loggers lead the NWC in defensive scoring (69.4 ppg) while averaging 74.3 points of their own. Junior guard Zane Miller averages 13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Junior center Hugo Rutherfurd adds 12.3 points and 5.2 boards per game. Whitworth swept the Loggers in 2024-25, winning 97-88 at home and 60-58 in Tacoma.
Pacific Lutheran is 8-7 overall and 2-4 in the NWC heading into its game at Whitman on Friday night. The Lutes split at home last weekend, losing 80-60 on Friday to Pacific before defeating Linfield 80-61 on Saturday to break a four-game skid. Chad Murray is in his ninth year at PLU and is a two-time NWC Coach of the Year. The Lutes are averaging 74.2 points per game while allowing 70.8. Sophomore forward Charlie Kapranos leads PLU in scoring average (14.1 ppg), ranks second in the NWC in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and is third in the conference in assists (4.4 apg). Senior guard Ben Tellez adds 13.7 points per game and gets to the free throw line more than any other Lute, where he converts 82%. Last year PLU handed Whitworth its first loss of the season, 75-73 in Spokane. The Pirates defeated the Lutes 82-71 on the road. Whitworth is only 5-4 against PLU in the last nine meetings.
Pirates picked to win: Whitworth is listed at the top of the 2025-26 Northwest Conference coaches poll with eight first place votes and 64 points. The Pirates are coming off a 22-4 record in 2024-25 and a Northwest Conference title with a 13-3 mark. Whitman got one first place vote and has 53 points for second in the poll. PLU and Puget Sound (44 points apiece) tied for third.
Two Decades of Dominance: Since the beginning of the 2005-06 season (over 19 seasons) the Pirates are 460-106 (.812), an amazing run of success matched by few other college teams at any level. Within the Northwest Conference, Whitworth has won 239 of its last 271 (.882).
Home-Sweet-Home: Whitworth has been stellar in the Whitworth Fieldhouse since the 1990's. During the decade of the 1990s and 2000's Whitworth won more than 84% of its home games. However, since the beginning of the 2005-06 season, the Bucs are 231-30 (.885) at home.
The Pirates have had two home-court winning streaks of more than 40 games since 1990. A 41-game home court winning streak from early 2009 until December of 2011 was the second-longest in Pirate history. The school record for consecutive home victories is 43, beginning during the 1994-95 season and ending during the 1997-98 season.
Road Warriors: As good as Whitworth is at home, the Pirates have been almost as good away from the Whitworth Fieldhouse over the last 14 seasons. Since the start of the 11-12 season, Whitworth is 138-44 (.758) away from home, 109-30 (.784) in true road games.
Coming Up Next: Whitworth will open the second half of its Northwest Conference schedule on the road at Pacific (Ore.) and Willamette on January 30th and 31st.
